Ron Artest has made the basketball reporters' lives much easier. He just generates terrific copy. And he may be the among most followed NBA players this year. Ron Artest is part of the defending NBA champions, the L.A. Lakers. It was essentially a swap of players with the Houston Rockets. Trevor Ariza went from the Lakers to the Houston Rockets. And the Lakers signed Ron Artest.
It has been a subject of continuous debate about whether the Lakers made a wise move or not. Trevor Ariza was a favorite among the Lakers fans. Now, early in the season, there are some data. Ron Artest is learning the offensive and defensive approach of the Lakers. While it is early in the learning curve, Ron Artest's self assessment is that he is shooting the ball well:
"... He's shooting only 25% (four for 16) from the field, 22.2% (two for nine) from three-point range. He's even missing from the free-throw line, making only 33.3% (three for nine) of his tries."
The foul shooting is below that standards of frustration set by Shaquille O'Neal. Perhaps it is an early season aberration.
For the sake of comparison, Trevor Ariza scored thirty three (33) points against the Portland Train Blazers. He shot 11 for 17 (64.7%) and was 6 for 9 in free throws.
The basketball reporters will be collecting such data for the duration of the season. That, coupled with how media accessible Ron Artest is, makes for terrific story lines. The copy almost writes itself. It makes for great entertainment. Perhaps that is to be expected. The Lakers are the NBA team that plays close to Hollywood.
Catherine Forsythe
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